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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mug — a face
  6. swing — in golf
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — for money
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — music
  18. bank — for money
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a music group
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bank — of a river

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com